


Caught In A Triangle

by PrivateFlamingo



Category: Assassination Classroom
Genre: Anime, Competitive, Dating, Developing Relationship, Friendship, Love Triangles, Multi, Rating May Change, Romance, Tags Are Hard, Warnings May Change, non-canon, what happens next
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-19
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-09-18 12:37:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9385514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrivateFlamingo/pseuds/PrivateFlamingo
Summary: What happens when Nagisa has two friends who both confess to him when he only sees them as friends? Will it ruin the relationships he has cherished thus far, or will it turn into something more?Readers can change the ending of the story! See my notes for details!





	1. One Side Of The Triangle

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, Flamingo here!   
> It's been a long time since I've written fanfiction, so I'm really rusty.   
> I apologise for that in advance.  
> Constructive criticism is always welcome, so feel free to lay it on me!
> 
> As mentioned in the summary, you guys can affect the outcome of the story by commenting who you want Nagisa to end up with.  
> Depending on what you guys are asking for, the rating and tags may change, so bare with me on that.
> 
> I'm also looking for some beta readers and co-authors for future work, so if you're interested, please let me know. 
> 
> Now then, let's begin our journey through this triangle!  
> I hope you enjoy it!   
> (I've pulled a few all-nighters, typing up plans, deleting things and replaying Aldnoah Zero music trying to get something substantial out of this worn out mind of mine)

* * *

 

Soft baby blue hair with eyes to match.

Smooth pale skin that remained unblemished for the most part, but appeared so delicate and easy to taint.

Some would describe their height as ‘petite’ or like that of a child, but it was of no fault of their own that they were only 159cm.

Often mistaken for a girl, Nagisa Shiota was a male third-year at Kunugigaoka, much to everyone’s surprise and sometimes horror.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, he found himself fall from the main campus and Class 3-D to what students tended to call the ‘End Class’, formally known as Class 3-E.

Nagisa’s status immediately fell when he was notified about the class transfer, many of his classmates refusing to speak with him at all and deleting his contact information because Class 3-E was considered to be for delinquents and underachievers who didn’t deserve to be a part of the rest of Kunugigaoka.

When the blue haired boy had received the letter, he felt devastated and mortified; however, there were advantages to being in Class 3-E.

An advantage was meeting one of his closest friends, Kaede Kayano in that very class just before they were assigned Koro-sensei as a teacher and their target for assassination.

On one warm spring afternoon, just after Class 3-E were dismissed for the day, Kayano took Nagisa to a small café on the outskirts of the main city to try the unique drink flavours they had there.

Nagisa sighed softly as he loosened his tie slightly; he loved it when it was warm, but when it got to the point where he was starting to sweat profusely, that was a problem.

To Nagisa’s dismay, he didn’t have any time to get changed before Kayano brought him to the quaint establishment and so, he had to suffer a little longer with perspiration.

“Ah, it’s here Nagisa! Look, isn’t it adorable?”

Kayano pointed to a café front, its sign bright with pink calligraphy letters spelling out the name ‘Café Ans’ and its soft blue background complimenting the writing.

“Café Ans? As in ‘ansatsu’? The Japanese word for-”

“Yep!” Kayano beamed proudly, rocking on her heels energetically.

Although she wouldn’t admit it, it had taken hours for the green-haired girl to find a suitable place for the two to visit.

Of course, with each café she had found at least slightly suitable, she had face-checked and inspected the establishment thoroughly before making a final decision.

Café Ans was a quaint little café, specialising in hot drinks and homemade cakes; despite this appealing attribute, the café itself was only popular with Kunugigaoka students and few others, as the owner of the establishment was an alumnus from Kunugigaoka.

The current students at the middle school flocked in groups to meet with the owner and discuss what they did in order to graduate and become a successful owner of what was a secretly prestigious café hidden within what was thought to be a humble and simple place.

Nagisa chewed his lip, thinking of what he could possibly order from a place he was unfamiliar with and whether he’d be behaving like a child by ordering what he used to ask for when he was young.

The blue haired individual was starting to develop a complex over his looks and how his body hadn’t developed as much as everyone else his age.

He found that people tended to mistake him for a girl due to his long blue hair and petite figure, which embarrassed him to no end, especially when he had to explain to them that he was a third-year male at a middle school.

That caused people to become sceptical of whether Nagisa was lying in order to get people to stop paying so much attention to him.

Kayano looked over at Nagisa’s face and noticed that he was biting his lip and was frowning slightly; a hand made its way to a boy’s arm, causing him to snap out of his reverie and focus on the smiling girl beside him.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll have what you want, Nagisa!” Kayano’s smile widened in a way that made Nagisa’s negative thoughts immediately subside.

“Ah… I’m not worrying, but thank you.” Nagisa smiled softly, tilting his head to the side a little and making multiple strands of hair fall across his face.

“Come on, let’s go inside before we waste away here!” Kayano gently tugged on Nagisa’s arm, causing him to stumble slightly but followed her inside.

* * *

 


	2. Another Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mindless conversations, a delicious smelling cafe and... Koro-sensei?  
> What's he doing here and how does he know...?

* * *

 

As soon as they stepped over the threshold of the café’s entrance, both students were greeted – rather, attacked – by the smell of vanilla, cinnamon and chocolate.

“Woah… That’s a strong scent…” Nagisa closed his eyes and focused on all of the smells emanating from the kitchen area behind the cashier.

He caught the three obvious baking ingredients right away, but a moment of focus discovered a faint smell of strawberries and coffee.

“Oh…” Nagisa whispered to himself as he reopened his azure eyes slowly. “They may serve what I’m looking for, Kayano…!”

Kayano, who was distracted by Nagisa’s features when he had closed his eyes, blinked owlishly at the blue haired male momentarily before breaking out into a large smile and nodding.

“That’s great! Does that mean I haven’t done too badly with this choice?” Kayano twirled stray pieces of hair around her index finger, a slightly nervous smile on her face.

Nagisa analysed her face for a moment before smiling brightly.

“Looks like it, Kaede, thank you.”

Kayano’s face lit up with embarrassment and she hid her face behind her hands quickly; it was a very rare occurrence where Nagisa would address her by her first name, so it was only natural to become flustered.

Or was there another reason behind it?

“Come on, let’s go and sit down. We can look at what we can have here.” Nagisa looked around before laying his eyes on a small table for two beside a large window.

Kayano followed Nagisa’s gaze before nodding and sitting down in one of the seats, followed by the blue haired boy.

Kayano’s viridian eyes scanned the café in order to study her surroundings from a new viewpoint.

It had everything that a basic café did; tables, chairs, the counter for ordering items from the menu, the kitchen and minimalistic decorations.

The green haired girl paused for a moment, staring at a certain picture on the wall intently to find a small, bright yellow smiling face in the corner of it.

‘ _Koro-sensei…’_ Kayano thought, smiling to herself discreetly when the face gave a small wink then disappeared. ‘ _He really does get everywhere.’_

When the focus was brought back onto Nagisa, Kayano found that he already had his nose in the menu, eyes wide with interest and curiosity.

“Oh, did you find anything you like, Nagisa?”

The boy looked up, slightly startled as he was in somewhat of a daydream before he grinned sheepishly and nodded.

“Yeah, they have just what I want and some things that I’d love to try…” Nagisa found himself staring at images of pancakes drenched in syrup, waffles covered in Nutella and rainbow coloured drinks topped with cherries, ice and even sparklers.

“Huh…” Kayano hummed, her eyes scanning the menu quickly. “That rainbow drink looks like it’s for parties for little kids and girls... I can’t really see a guy from our school ordering it, to be fair.”

Nagisa visibly flinched and resorted to chewing his lip again making Kayano look up at him.

“Nagisa?”

“I kind of… wanted to… try that drink myself, actually.” Nagisa’s face turned a deep shade of pink and he tried to hide his burning cheeks from view.

His friend stared at him for a moment before giggling softly, drawing Nagisa’s eyes onto her.

“What’s so funny?”

“Although I can’t see any other guy ordering it, I can definitely see you sipping on it, Nagisa. Maybe with a curly straw and a cupcake too!”

Despite Kayano poking fun at Nagisa slightly for how he sometimes ordered considerably ‘feminine’ items on menus, Nagisa’s azure eyes lit up with excitement.

“Really? I can order it? You won’t make fun of me for it or bring it up in front of everyone else?” Nagisa asked with slight hesitance, but was still very likely to order the suggested combination whether Kayano teased him or not.

“Hmm… Well I _suppose_ I can keep this a secret! Just this once though, okay?” Kayano gave a cheeky grin and Nagisa’s blush subsided from an uncontrollable blush to one of happiness, as his mouth widened into a toothy beam.

_‘Oh Nagisa… You want everyone to see you as a boy, but at times like this, I can understand why people mistake you for a girl.’_

Kayano reached over the table and pinched his cheek gently, making Nagisa squeak slightly, then cover his mouth from the embarrassment and shock.

_‘You really are…’_

“Kayano…! That hurt a little, you know and you really shouldn’t surprise me like that!”

_‘Cute…’_

“K-Kayano…?”

_‘Nagisa…’_

“Kaede?”

The green haired girl blinked, snapping out of her thoughts when she heard her name.

“Yes? What is it?”

Nagisa pursed his lips together slightly and tilted his head to the side, putting a hand on his chin.

“You looked lost in thought. Is something wrong?”

“Hm? No, it’s nothing. Just, uh… thinking about today’s failed assassination attempt and how it could have gone better.”

Although Kayano hated to lie to Nagisa, she couldn’t tell him just yet.

_‘Just a little longer, just wait a little longer and I’ll tell you…’_

“If that’s the case, I’ll just order what we want whilst we’re here.” Nagisa analysed the menu once more before closing it gently and looking at Kayano. “Know what you’re ordering?”

“Hm… I think I’ll get this drink, it has sparkles in it and it sounds good! It’s called, uh… oh! Glitter Galaxy!”

“Huh, sounds like a cocktail rather than a drink for a café.” Nagisa hummed thoughtfully, his brow furrowing slightly before rising from his seat, then going to the counter to order their drinks.

Kayano watched Nagisa quietly before a figure tapped her on the shoulder from behind, making the middle school girl turn in her seat with a friendly smile.

“Ko-”

“Not so loud! I don’t want to get Nagisa’s attention!”

Despite this, the bright yellow teacher seemed intent on drawing more attention to himself simply by forgetting to wear a disguise whilst conversing with Kayano.

“So, what’s up Koro-sensei? Why are you so far from the school at this hour?” Kayano whispered, her eyes trained on Nagisa in case he turned around to see their target in the vicinity.

“I had a bad feeling about you when you left school today, so I came to tell you to be true to yourself and your feelings.”

“Huh…?” Kayano turned around, her face inches away from her teacher’s as she all but hissed at him. “I am being true to my feelings. J-Just not yet, I don’t want to just throw this on him randomly.”

A bright yellow face nodded in acknowledgement before it started to move away from Kayano.

“Just know that the longer you wait, the more time you have to beat yourself up over the opportunities you had to tell him.”

Kayano grimaced.

She was aware of the many sleepless nights she’d had thinking about Nagisa and just how much affection she had for him, whilst researching suitable dating spots that could easily be passed off as places to hang out.

“That,” Koro-sensei continued, looking at Nagisa as the boy continued to converse with the cashier with a charming smile. “and I know that you’re not the only one with their eyes on young Nagisa, Kayano.”

Bright green eyes turned to look at Koro-sensei, but he was already gone.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's quite uneventful at the moment, isn't it?  
> The reason for that's because chapter one, two and three are all meant to be in one chapter, but it's too long to just be one, so I split them all up.  
> It's building up, I promise, just bare with me!
> 
> See you all next chapter!


	3. One Quivering Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Koro-sensei making such a bold statement, how will Kayano behave knowing this information?  
> Will it put her off her plan or will it make her more determined than before to make this cafe date work?

* * *

 

_‘I’m not the only one…? I mean it’s understandable, but…’_

“Kayano!”

The green haired girl’s head shot up at the call of her name to look at Nagisa’s beaming face approach the table.

“The lady said she’d bring the drinks right out! Huh…?”

Nagisa stared at Kayano intently, the shine in his eyes dimming significantly as his eyes seemed to be looking for something.

Immediately, Kaede’s body became tense and she began to be nervous; why was Nagisa staring at her with that look and those eyes?

The eyes of an assassin studying their target.

Suddenly Kayano felt a hand against her neck and a thumb gently caressing under her jaw slowly.

“Kaede…”

The only response that the middle school girl had was to blush profusely and become slightly more tense before she felt slim fingers start stroking a slightly different location on the left side of her neck, making her relax automatically.

“You’re anxious… What’s the matter?”

Although Nagisa’s eyes were hard from seeing things from an assassin’s point of view as opposed to how he normally saw the world, they had a faint sign of kindness in them simultaneously.

Kaede found herself smile and put her hand on Nagisa’s gently, leaning into his touch slightly.

“I-I’m fine now, Nagisa. I’m good, so relax.”

Nagisa blinked slowly, his eyes returning to being soft and warm as they usually were as he retracted his hand at a snail’s pace to prevent Kaede from panicking again.

“Alright… Hey, whilst we wait, let’s talk about Okajima’s totally weird outburst today!” Nagisa laughed at the memory, thinking about changing the subject very quickly.

“Ah… Okajima, that pervert.” Kayano giggled, resting her chin on the palm of her hand. “I can’t believe he tried to rate all the girls in the class out of 10.”

“And I can’t believe he even joked about rating Nakamura a 4! He knew he’d get beaten down by her!” Nagisa laughed, shaking his head at the thought of Nakamura sending a powerful jab towards Okajima’s unsuspecting jaw.

“He really can’t read the atmosphere at the best of times.” Kaede gave a soft sigh, blowing her bangs out of place.

Nagisa liked to think that Okajima was a romantic guy with more than just women and lust on his mind, but certain scenarios made it hard to maintain that line of thinking.

Especially when he turned to Nagisa and exclaimed:

_“Nagisa, if you were a girl, you’d be the hottest girl and you’d definitely be a 9 to me!”_

With a thumbs-up, Okajima seemed to find that saying this was appropriate until the entire class turned and stared at him with disgust and slight horror.

“Here you go, you two! I have your Party Animal, Nagisa and your good ol’ Galaxy, Kaede.” The waitress set the drinks down on the table carefully and smiled softly.

“Thanks… but how do you know our names? I-If you don’t mind me asking, that is.” Nagisa asked quickly, his baby blue eyes wide with surprise.

“Ah…” The waitress’ smile widened somewhat and she held her tray under her arm. “Koro-sensei frequently stops by and loves talking about your class. He seems to adore you all so much!”

Kayano and Nagisa looked at each other in silence before looking at the waitress again.

“Don’t worry guys.” The waitress laughed. “I know what he is and I know it’s down to you guys to assassinate him. He told me everything, believe it or not.”

“U-Um! You know everything about our situation?” Kaede frowned, feeling confused about the entire encounter.

“I do. I have clearance to find out about what’s going on in my old class!”

“So…” Nagisa spoke slowly, mixing his drink with his straw slowly. “You used to be in Class 3-E, then? I thought you were in 3-A and were the top in the school?”

“Oh, that?” The waitress gave a hearty laugh, almost dropping her tray. “Just a little tale I tell the current students. It encourages people to do well so that they can go on to have their own businesses like me. A small price to pay to make the next generations hopeful for the future.”

A small bell rang from the entrance of the shop and the waitress made her way back to the counter to serve the customers.

Kaede looked over at Nagisa’s face and found that he was analysing the waitress carefully and in silence, almost as though she was a target.

“Nagisa, stop that!”

“Huh?” Nagisa turned to Kayano and smiled innocently before sipping his drink. “Stop what?”

“You’re looking at her with your little assassin eyes again.”

“Well…” Nagisa hummed, blowing bubbles in his drink like he used to do as a child. “She shouldn’t know about Koro-sensei, that’s all. I’m wary.”

“I’m well aware.”

Kayano sighed internally as she took great gulps of her sparkly drink, her thirst disappearing quickly.

_‘At this rate, I’ll never get to tell him how I feel… There’s no opportunity to do so…’_

Kaede looked down at the table when she recalled what Koro-sensei had told her.

_“That and I know that you’re not the only one with their eyes on young Nagisa, Kayano.”_

_‘So… it’s not just me…? There’s competition…?’_

Nagisa ran a hand through his hair mindlessly, trying to undo the tangles in his bangs before resting his hand on the table beside his drink.

Looking at the boy’s slender index finger that was drawing small circles on the table, Kayano had an idea.

_‘Take this opportunity, Kaede. Just relax…’_

Kayano slid her hand over the table and rested her hand atop Nagisa’s, causing the young boy to stare at Kaede with wide eyes.

“Nagisa, I…”

Viridian eyes closed slowly as the middle school girl inhaled deeply in order to collect her thoughts as she laced their fingers together with slight hesitance.

Kaede opened her eyes and smiled softly, her eyes meeting azure instantly.

“Nagisa, I really like you. More than a friend. More like a lover.”

_‘And strike’_

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried, but again, this is all meant to be chapter one haha!  
> I managed to stray from my plan way too much for my liking, so it's got quite a slow beginning.  
> I HAVEN'T EVEN INTRODUCED THE THIRD SIDE YET  
> But I think you can guess who it's going to be, so let's keep going!
> 
> See you in the fourth instalment, my loves!


	4. Coming Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a premeditated confession, how will Nagisa react knowing how Kaede truly feels?

* * *

 

Nagisa stared at their linked fingers, his hand quivering slightly.

What was going on?

Since when did Kayano have feelings for him? Was he just not aware of how she felt for all this time?

“A-Ah.. R-Really now…?” Was all Nagisa could bring himself to say to a heavily blushing Kayano, her eyes staring at their joined hands.

Nagisa knew what to do in order to assassinate someone. He had the ability to sneak up on people without even trying and could confuse a target with his sweetest smile before pouncing.

So why?

Why couldn’t he find a suitable reaction to this sudden confession?

Kayano, on the other hand, was just relieved that he acknowledged how she felt, even if he may not feel the same way.

To Kaede, this just meant that she’d have to work hard to get Nagisa to feel the same way as she did and then…

And then…

The thought of what could happen between them both made the green haired girl’s hair stand on end with excitement.

Dates, snuggling, assassination attempts on Koro-sensei.

Wouldn’t that be a dream?

Feeling satisfied, Kayano removed her fingers from Nagisa’s slowly, her fingers still warm from the contact.

“Nagisa-”

“Kaede-”

Both students spoke at the same time, then smiled a little at each other because of the coincidence.

“Nagisa, I hope you don’t think of me in a bad way after this, I mean-”

“Kayano…”

The young girl shrunk a little in her seat, sipping on her drink quietly when she heard Nagisa call her by her surname.

“I wouldn’t dare think of you in a bad way because you have feelings for me, but I mean… I’m going to need a bit of time, so…”

Nagisa trailed off slowly, seemingly withdrawing into himself and failing to come up with the right words to say.

“It’s okay, Nagisa.”

Azure eyes looked up to see a bright and warm smile from one of his best friends, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

“A-Are you sure?”

“Of course I am. You’re taking the time to think about it and consider it… for now, that’s enough for me.”

In Kayano’s heart, she felt like a weight had been lifted somewhat; her confession wasn’t shut down and denied like she had expected to be, nor had he accepted it.

If she was being honest, if Nagisa was to confess to Kayano about liking her back in the same way, Kaede may have fainted from the sheer excitement and the fact that he actually felt that way about her.

It would have been too much!

Nagisa, on the other hand, was rather conflicted and was shuffling very slightly in his seat.

Would this change the way that he’d see one of his closest friends?

Would this mean that them being close isn’t just because they both saw each other just as friends, but because Kaede simply wanted to get closer to him as a girlfriend?

Girlfriend…

The word buzzed in Nagisa’s mind like a swarm of mosquitoes; so much so, that he began to feel a little dizzy and disorientated.

Despite being a student and naturally wanting to do what normal students do like go to karaoke, eat at restaurants together and study together during exam season, he hadn’t even considered the possibility of being with someone.

When he was in Class 3-D, he was focused on school and his friends, but didn’t think about relationships as often as his classmates did.

As soon as he fell into Class 3-E, his focus shifted slightly to accommodate the assassination of his teacher, as well as his studies and making new friends within his class.

Nagisa’s chest grew heavy with that thought; did that not make him a normal student if he’d never thought about having a relationship?

If he was being honest with himself, he was unsure about his own sexuality since he’d never had such an attraction to a certain sex before.

That made Nagisa feel uncertain about himself; how could he not know this much about himself? Was he just so focused on his goal to get through school that he wasn’t paying enough attention to himself?

He found himself watching Kayano as she leaned back in her seat, her eyes focused on the people wandering about outside.

The third-year boy watched her closely, noticing how soft and smooth her hair seemed and how her eyes had a constant sparkle to them when she was focusing on something that she was interested in.

Nagisa’s gaze shifted to a wisp of hair straying from the rest and he found himself concentrate on it intently.

Instinctively, he stood up, resting one hand on the table, the other making its way to Kayano’s hair.

Immediately, Kaede’s eyes shifted to see Nagisa leaning over the table, his lips parted slightly and his gaze strong.

“Nagisa, what-”

She stopped when she felt a hand caress her hair slowly and noticed that Nagisa was even closer than before.

The green haired girl couldn’t stop herself from nuzzling Nagisa’s hand, much to the boy’s surprise; despite this, the hand didn’t stop stroking her hair and for that, Kayano was thankful.

That is, until Nagisa’s phone started ringing from his back pocket.

“Oh…” Nagisa found himself muttering as he stood up straight and took his phone from his pocket. “Hello…?”

“Hey, is there a Mr Shiota there?”

Nagisa frowned slightly; was this a cold caller? How strange, he’d never had one before.

“Yes, who’s this?”

He heard a snort from the other end of the phone, then a deep chuckle.

“Look outside for me.”

Doing as he was told, Nagisa brought his attention to the street outside and looked around for someone on the phone to no avail.

“I’m looking outside, what now?” Nagisa was growing a little frustrated by this person on the phone and how they were trying to distract him from trying to flatten a stubborn strand of Kayano’s hair.

“You can’t see me? How about now?”

The next thing Nagisa knew, he saw a mop of bright red hair and a deep smirk saunter past the window.

“K-”

“You have 30 minutes, Nagisa. Don’t be late!”

Then the line went dead.

Shit.

Shit, shit, shit.

He was meant to be meeting up with Karma later on and here he was on a date with-

Wait, a date?

Was this really a date…?

“Nagisa?”

Kayano stood up from her seat with a smile and her bag slung over her shoulder.

“Y-Yeah? What’s up?” He internally kicked himself for stuttering and urged himself to stop. He had no reason to be stuttering, right?

“You have to go, right?”

Although Kayano didn’t appear to react during the conversation, she was listening rather intently and definitely noticed a familiar face wander past the window.

Putting the pieces together, she figured that Nagisa had someplace to be and despite the feeling of wanting to hang out for longer, she was happy she spent a little time alone with him.

“Yeah, I do. I’m sorry for cutting it short, Kayano, but I lost track of time.” Throwing his bag over his shoulder, he pushed his chair under the table quickly.

“Don’t worry about it, it was a lot of fun just spending time with you.”

The two Kunugigaoka students stared at each other for a moment before Nagisa pulled Kayano into a tight hug, causing the emerald haired girl to squeak slightly.

“I had fun too…” Nagisa whispered softly and Kayano rested her chin on Nagisa’s shoulder with a small grin. “Thank you Kaede.”

With that, Nagisa slowly let Kayano go before leaving the café and running home.

Kaede stood motionless in the café, her heart pounding from the close contact and the utterance of her first name during such an intimate moment.

“Damn you Nagisa,” Kayano found herself laughing despite herself. “You don’t even realise what you’re doing, do you?”

As she pushed her chair in, Kayano pulled out her phone and started to text a classmate as she left Café Ans behind for the day.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, we're starting to get a glimpse of our third side of the triangle!  
> I'm really sorry that we've had four chapters just on a cafe scene, but I didn't want to rush it like I have done in the past haha  
> So, guess who we're going to focus on next chapter?  
> Excited?  
> ...No?  
> Just me?  
> Okay haha
> 
> See you all in the fifth chapter!  
> Date of the next update: 21/01/2017


	5. First and Third

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Nagisa to meet up with Karma but... has he disappeared? He only saw him 30 minutes ago and surely, Karma wouldn't be late to meet up, so where is he?

* * *

Nagisa hadn’t returned to his house since school had ended and had been stuck in his school uniform the entire time.

It wouldn’t have been a problem if he wasn’t sweating profusely by the time he managed to unlock the door to his house.

As he turned the key in the door, he noticed that his hair ties were coming loose and he had more strands around his neck and shoulders than in the twintails.

He sighed heavily as he made his way inside; it didn’t help that he wasn’t allowed to cut his hair so that he could look a little more like a boy.

“I’m home!” He called softly, even though he knew that no one was at home at the moment.

His mother worked long hours and his father didn’t live with them anymore, but even so, he always had a lingering feeling that someone, _anyone_ , would be waiting at home for him with a warm smile and a hug.

Nagisa laughed to himself self-depreciatingly as he took his shoes off and made his way into his bedroom.

“Yeah right… Like that’ll ever happen…”

Putting his bag on a hook, Nagisa started to peel off his school clothes gingerly, the fabric sticking to his skin slightly.

He grimaced; he didn’t get this sweaty during his classes with Karasuma, but one exceptionally warm afternoon and a jog later made him feel like he was drowning in his own perspiration.

Looking at the time quickly, Nagisa made a beeline for the shower, pulling the ties out of his hair carelessly whilst sighing with pleasure as he felt his hair fall around his shoulders freely.

_‘If I’m late, Karma will never let it go… better hurry.’_

Turning on the warm water for the shower, Nagisa let himself close his eyes for a moment of peace and appreciation of simply being in his own space for a little while.

After washing his body and his hair with both speed and impeccable precision, Nagisa stepped out of the shower and dried himself off.

“Hm…” he found himself humming as he threw the doors to his wardrobe open to look for something to wear. “Ah… Not again…”

A sneer found its way onto Nagisa’s face as he removed a dress from its hanger in his wardrobe.

_‘She bought me girls clothes again…? When will she acknowledge it…? When will she notice that I’m not a girl?’_

Throwing the deep blue dress onto the bed, Nagisa focused his attention on the remaining clothes on their hangers.

“Huh… I guess this will do.” Nagisa reasoned with himself as he pulled out a simple pair of black trousers and a dark grey t-shirt off their hangers and started to tug them on over his underwear. “I mean, it’s just a meetup with Karma.”

Nagisa recalled the day that had passed at school.

He was sat on the steps outside of the cabin where 3-E resided during lunchtime with two of his best friends, Karma and Kayano.

“Hey Nagisa, what’s for lunch today then, hm?” Karma threw an arm around Nagisa’s slim shoulders and peered at the lunchbox in the blue-haired boy’s hands.

“Uh… i-it’s just a bento box, Karma. Same as always.” Nagisa shrugged off the question, caught off guard slightly from the contact.

“Fancy sharing some? All donations of food go towards the hungry kids of the world, like me.” Karma grinned at both Kayano and Nagisa, holding his hands out in a similar manner to a pauper.

Sharing a glance and a quick eye roll, Kayano and Nagisa both grinned at Karma and his outstretched palms.

“Did you forget your lunch again today? You know you can just run down to the main campus like you always do and snag something to eat.” The green-haired girl casually brushed Karma off before opening her lunchbox.

“C’mon, support the Karma Akabane charity, will ya? I’m a growing guy just like the rest of you.” A pause before Karma gave a sharp-toothed smirk. “Well… like _some_ of you anyhow!”

“Alright, alright, I get it.” Nagisa conceded with a heavy sigh before handing Karma his bento box. “You at least have some chopsticks, don’t you?”

“I do, I got the spare pair out of your bag earlier!”

Nagisa groaned, but said nothing more.

Kayano watched the pair quietly; at the time, she was thinking hard about her plan for after school with Nagisa and how they could enjoy each other’s company.

She wasn’t too bothered about Karma, since he was always begging Nagisa for his food, despite the fact that Karma never forgot his lunch.

Wait, Karma never forgot his lunch?

Why was Karma asking to share Nagisa’s food then?

Green eyes narrowed slightly, which didn’t go unnoticed by Nagisa and Karma.

“Hey, what’s the matter? Does your lunch not taste nice or something, Kayano?” Nagisa stuck his bottom lip out slightly as he took peek at Kayano’s food.

Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary.

“Huh? N-No, it’s fine. Don’t worry about-”

“I mean,” Karma interrupted with a devilish grin as he licked a grain of rice from his lips. “If you’re not hungry, there’s always room for _more_ donations!”

“No!” Kayano clung to her food defensively, her eyes wide. “You may have gotten a hold of Nagisa’s food, but I won’t give in that easily.”

Karma’s grin softened into a warm smile and his golden eyes shone with satisfaction.

“That’s what I like to hear. Keep up that attitude with your assassination attempts.”

Both Nagisa and Kayano stared at Karma’s sudden change of attitude, before Kayano nodded happily and took to eating her food.

Nagisa noticed something from the corner of his eye and his eyes went dark momentarily.

Catching Nagisa’s line of eyesight, Karma pulled out a knife that he kept inside his jacket and threw it where his best friend was subtly gesturing.

A soft gust of wind surrounded the trio before they saw their teacher standing above them with Karma’s knife held in a handkerchief.

“No assassinations during lunch, Karma! I thought you’d be more occupied hoarding other people’s food than trying to kill me!” Koro-sensei gave a small but playful sigh before looking into the forest. “However, the co-ordination was impeccable. You two are really coming along.”

That was all Koro-sensei said before he rushed over into a nearby tree in the forest.

“Hey!” The trio heard Koro-sensei exclaim loudly and they all smiled. “No assassination attempts during lunchtime, how many times do I have to tell you, Chiba?!”

With that, the trio of friends laughed and returned to eating, Karma and Nagisa sharing a lunch and Kayano eating her own, all of whom were in comfortable silence.

In the present time, Nagisa was already dressed and was in the process of slipping his casual shoes on.

Checking the time, Nagisa grimaced slightly at the fact that he had 10 minutes to be at the intersection with the large oak tree.

Walking, it would take at least 15 minutes, but if he ran a little bit of the way, he definitely wouldn’t be late and thus, wouldn’t be a victim to Karma’s incessant teasing.

At least for now, anyway.

Leaving the house and locking the door, Nagisa bolted down the street to the rendezvous that was agreed on the day before.

As it happened, Nagisa arrived at the meeting point right on time, his pants coming out in small, soft burst as he leaned against the tree for support.

_‘God… I’m never running this far this fast ever again.’_

He swore that to himself as he starting to catch his breath for five minutes.

Five minutes and no appearance of a certain red-head made Nagisa frown deeply.

Sure, he was focusing on being able to breathe like a normal human being again, but he was certain that if Karma was to walk past, Nagisa would notice.

Taking his phone from his back pocket, Nagisa started to type out a message to the devious red-head.

**_‘Hey, I’m already here! Where are’_ **

Suddenly, he wasn’t holding his phone anymore and was simply staring at his hands where it used to be.

“What…?”

He looked around, perplexed as to where it went.

It wasn’t on the ground, so he didn’t drop it and, thankfully, it hadn’t smashed.

“Where’d it go…? I mean… what…?”

Nagisa turned around to come nose-to-nose with an upside-down face.

“Na-gi-sa!”

“Karma!”

Stepping back, azure eyes looked up to find the boy he was looking for hanging precariously from a dangerously thin branch, his phone in the clutches of this mischievous friend of his.

“You know, Nagisa,” Karma chuckled as he jumped down quickly. “You really should sharpen those super awesome assassination skills of yours. I was sat on that branch, watching you all along.”

“No way, are you being serious?” Nagisa looked up, his eyebrows knitting together momentarily.

It would have been easy to spot Karma, had he looked up, since the tree only had miniature leaves on them for the time being.

“You really didn’t notice me? I’m so offended!” Karma put the back of his hand to his forehead in mock disbelief, then smirked.

“Whatever, whatever. Why were you in that tree anyway?”

Handing back Nagisa’s phone, Karma simply hummed and stayed silent for several moments.

“Uh… for assassination purposes?”

“I’m not Koro-sensei, so that won’t wash with me.” Nagisa sighed playfully, pocketing his phone in his back pocket where it belonged.

“Well, if you, one of 3-E’s best assassins can’t even detect me, then I guess I’m finding flaws in your technique, aren’t I?” Karma replied, matter-of-factly whilst his eyes sparkled with mischief.

“Ah… I guess so.”

Karma noticed that Nagisa was fidgeting slightly, his hand moving from his pockets, to his other hand and back again.

Purely on impulse, Karma grabbed the fidgety hand and held it tightly to stop Nagisa from becoming listless.

Nagisa immediately froze, his mind flashing back to Café Ans and Kayano again and his body becoming tense.

Detecting that Nagisa was becoming anxious and wary of him, Karma put a hand on the pressure point on Nagisa’s neck to relax his nerves; Nagisa may have overthought about the hand-holding, since he had a habit of over-analysing things.

“Nagisa,” Karma spoke very softly so as to keep Nagisa from becoming more tense. “Nagisa, relax, it’s okay. I’m not out to hurt you or anything, so you don’t have to tense up like this.”

Nagisa stared with wide eyes; he’d never been spoken to by Karma in such a soft and sweet voice before and although the experience made him slightly nervous, the hand on his pressure point made him relax in an instant.

Karma was right.

He wasn’t out to hurt him, so what’s with the tensing up? Is something off right now?

Golden eyes watched Nagisa’s expression softly significantly and Karma breathed a soft sigh of relief.

Perhaps now wasn’t the right time for it, not when Nagisa was shook by simple hand-holding.

Besides…

Making that kind of move took a lot of mental preparation on Karma’s part too, so expecting Nagisa to not react in such a way was out of the question completely.

“S-Sorry, Karma.” Nagisa mumbled, his cheeks going pink from embarrassment. “Didn’t mean to act like that, I was just… thinking about something, that’s all.”

Oh.

So it wasn’t the hand-holding?

Did that mean Karma could just blurt out what he had to say to him?

Turning his face away and retracting his hand, Karma decided to bide his time.

“Karma?” Nagisa turned his friend’s face back towards him and the red-head was forced to stare into big orbs of endless azure. “Don’t go all melancholy on me now! After all, you owe me half of my lunch back.”

Blowing out a soft sigh, Karma smiled softly and nodded.

“Yeah… Let’s go and pay you back now, yeah?”

With a chuckle and an exuberant nod, Nagisa agreed to it.

_‘I-I… I can’t do this now…’_

Trying his best to keep a cheery face up for Nagisa, the two walked through the streets and spoke about what they could do after they’d eaten.

However, Nagisa didn’t know that beyond that smile, Karma was plotting something that made his heart heavy in his chest and caused him to think about what-if scenarios.

_‘What if…’_

Nagisa laughed softly.

_‘What if I…’_

Big blue eyes became animated as time went on.

_‘What if he…’_

“A-Ah…!” Nagisa tripped over the kerb, his eyes widening and his voice coming out in a small squeak.

With his quick reflexes, Karma tried to grab onto Nagisa’s arm to keep him upright but pulled a little too hard and caused Nagisa to tumble into Karma and knock them both to the floor, golden eyes closing with the impact.

“Urgh… that was…” Karma started to speak before he opened his eyes and stared into Nagisa’s.

The two had their noses touching and Nagisa was sprawled on Karma’s body, his small hands resting against a broad chest and their legs tangled together.

“I-I… I’m sorry Karma…!” Nagisa began to stand up but fell again when he realised that their legs were still tangled together.

Nagisa ended up with his head against Karma’s chest and the red-head couldn’t stop his heart from pounding in his chest.

However, Karma still felt uneasy with himself, even with Nagisa this close and opportunities presenting themselves in colossal waves.

“I-It’s fine, but Nagisa… I…”

“Hm…?”

Looking up, Nagisa felt a hand stroke his jaw gently, months of affection threatening to spill over in one gesture; he noticed that Karma was moving his face closer, but all Nagisa could do was stay still and watch, frozen.

Feeling soft breaths of air on his lips, Nagisa blinked owlishly and gulped.

“K-Karma…?”

_‘What if Nagisa…’_

“What are you doing…? I mean…”

“You… forgot to put your hair into twintails, Nagisa…”

Coursing his large hands through Nagisa’s soft blue hair, Karma watched as the boy on his lap looked a little surprised, shrugged it off and closed his eyes with a calm smile.

“It suits you… you really do look…”

It was Karma’s turn to gulp as he was centimetres away from kissing the blue-haired assassin and showing him the feelings he’d been harbouring for so long.

But could he really kiss Nagisa whilst thinking:

_‘What if Nagisa doesn’t like me back after I tell him? Will he… hate me?’_

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about the delay everyone!  
> I really thought I could get this chapter edited and sent out on the 21st (it's the 22nd in England, right now).
> 
> I'm also sorry that you guys get Karma x Nagisa 'action' in one chapter, whereas Kayano gets like four.  
> However, did you really think I'd leave it like that?  
> Expect multiple chapters, my beautiful people!  
> But anyway, I hope it's getting a little interesting for you guys, I'm doing my best and hanging in there, so I hope you guys do the same!
> 
> See you all next chapter!  
> Date of next chapter: 23/01/2017


	6. Coming Together Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karma's feelings are becoming slightly overbearing, but a trip to a place of shared interest may just take his mind off it.  
> However...  
> 'I want to, Nagisa, really... I want to kiss you.'

* * *

 

_‘Nagisa I… I really can’t control how I feel about you when we’re like this…’_

Karma stared at Nagisa longingly, his chest becoming painfully heavy with each passing moment.

_‘I want to, Nagisa, really… I want to kiss you…’_

Realising that Karma’s hands had stopped stroking his hair, Nagisa opened his eyes slowly to see a look of pain apparent on Karma’s boyish features.

“Karma… What’s wrong? Are you in pain…?” Nagisa’s voice was soft, nurturing almost as he tried to search for the root of his friend’s problems.

With an uneasy laugh, the mischievous student averted his eyes to stop himself from blurting something unreasonable out.

_‘More than you can understand, man…’_

“I mean…” Nagisa mumbled, noticing Karma’s evasiveness. “If it’s me, then maybe we shouldn’t hang out today. I’d give you some time to forgive me for whatever I’ve done.”

“H-Huh? Nagisa, that’s not…”

That wasn’t it, at least not to Karma.

Having strong and barely controllable feelings for a friend of numerous months wasn’t something for Nagisa to apologise for!

He couldn’t help the way he acted, the way he looked, the way he talked…

Everything he was and did… he didn’t have to apologise for any of it!

There was nothing to forgive!

“Look, I’m fine, Nagisa.” Karma slowly untangled their bodies and stood them both up carefully, making sure not to hurt the object of his affection. “I invited you out today ‘cause I wanted to have fun. If there’s something I won’t forgive you for, it’s leaving before we do that fun thing.”

“That…” Nagisa hid his face from Karma, which made the golden-eyed boy nervous.

He only did that when he was getting into his assassin mode and if he was honest, he didn’t understand why he was in the process of doing so.

“That… fun thing, Karma?” Looking up with an innocent smile and glittering baby blue eyes, Nagisa laughed softly. “Please, I’m not ready to engage in such inappropriate activity. I ask for _at least_ a date before we get even close to that!”

A soft blush.

Eyes widening.

An explosion of pink across Karma’s face made Nagisa burst into uncontrollable laughter and Karma feel as though he couldn’t handle this unexpected humour from Nagisa.

“I didn’t mean it like that, you dope.”

“You didn’t specify, now, did you?”

“Even so…”

Digging a sharp tooth into his index finger lightly, Karma grumbled very softly.

“You shouldn’t joke like that when you know that I could pounce you at any given time with enough encouragement, Shiota.”

“Hm?” Nagisa hummed innocently, his eyes curious and searching for something. “What was that?”

“Nothing, let’s just go somewhere.”

“Mm! Okay, follow me!”

With a laugh, Nagisa hooked his arm around Karma’s and darted off to find a place for some light food.

Karma ran behind him, his eyes glued to the back of Nagisa’s head and smiled affectionately.

_‘I will follow your lead for as long as you want me to, Nagisa.’_

“Hey, I know!” Nagisa stopped abruptly, Karma screeching to a halt behind him in an attempt to not knock Nagisa over a second time.

“W-What? Thought of somewhere?” Karma grinned; whenever Nagisa had an idea, it was usually a very good one.

“Yeah! Let’s go to the arcade.”

The red-head was taken aback slightly, his mouth slightly agape.

“The… arcade? For something to eat…?” Karma spoke slowly and deliberately to confirm what Nagisa had just said.

“I mean… I thought it’d be a good place to hang out since it’s got both games and food, so…” Nagisa trailed off slowly, retracting into himself like he did whenever he felt awkward about something.

Resting a hand on a short tuft of sleek blue hair, Karma smiled warmly, his normally sharp eyes soft.

“You’re so smart, you know that? Killing two birds with one stone like that.”

Nagisa’s eyes brightened with glee, Karma actually complimented him for something!

If he was in class and he presented an idea, Karma was known to simply snort or scoff at it with an air of dismissiveness.

It was enough to put anyone off, but Nagisa remained persistent with the presentation of assassination ideas and, indeed, thoughts about Class 3-E’s regular studies.

Inside, Karma was proud of how much Nagisa was putting himself out there to be heard by other people, but he couldn’t let other people figure that out.

“Thanks Karma…!” Nagisa smiled wider than Karma had seen in a while and that, in itself, made the red-head feel like not all was lost.

“A-Anytime. Now come on, let’s make a bet!”

“A bet?”

Putting his hands on his hips, Karma gave a wolfish grin and nodded.

“Yep. I bet that I can beat you to the arcade! The loser has to pay for two games, does that sound fair?”

Baffled by the sudden declaration, Nagisa froze and quickly weighed out the pros and cons; Karma, on the other hand sensed that Nagisa had tensed up and reached a hand out to him.

“Nagi-”

Unexpectedly, Nagisa clapped right in front of his nose, then darted towards the arcade.

“See you there, Karma!” Nagisa cackled as he disappeared from sight.

“…Oh Nagisa…” Karma mumbled, his teeth biting his tongue. “If we’re going to play dirty, then so be it.”

With a deep chuckle, Karma casually walked in the opposite direction, opting for a scenic detour.

After all, the arcade was just the next street over and Nagisa had bolted away from it, probably just an attempt to escape Karma’s wrath.

Whichever it was, however, Karma was just happy that Nagisa was resorting to slightly more underhanded tricks.

Ah…

Nagisa was growing up to be a fine mini-Karma and that, in itself, made Karma smile to himself as he strolled aimlessly.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hhhhh went back to university today with two hours worth of sleep and although I was fine most of the day, I was falling asleep in the last lecture.  
> My point is that this would have been out earlier, but as soon as I got home, my bed became my best friend ;-;  
> I kind of wrote this chapter in my sleepy state, so I hope it's okay.  
> Even as I type, I'm getting tired haha  
> I hope this chapter's alright for you guys?  
> Please let me know if there's something you want Nagisa to do with either Kayano or Karma (or both/neither if you prefer).
> 
> Thanks for keeping up with the Karmadashians today guys!  
> See you in the seventh chapter!
> 
> Expected date of next chapter: 25/01/2017


	7. Let's Play!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for a bit of mischief between Karma and Nagisa whilst getting to the arcade. Who will get there first? Wait a moment, where did he go? Wasn't he on his way to the arcade?  
> Read on to find out!

* * *

 

The look on Karma’s face!

Nagisa smiled to himself as he slowed down gradually; he didn’t want to be gasping for his life for a second time that day.

It was rare that he’d use such an underhanded technique, but when being presented with the opportunity to get Karma to pay for something, it’s only natural to take it by any means necessary.

Even if it meant using the technique of an assassin.

He felt a soft buzz in his back pocket and so, instinctively, the blue haired boy was quick to remove it and stare at the LED screen.

**_‘Nice try, Nagisa, but if you’re not careful, you might get caught out.’_ **

He might get caught out?

Nagisa swallowed thickly, putting his phone back into his pocket; that sounded both like a challenge and a threat. One that he wasn’t willing to back down from.

“It’s fine,” he mumbled to himself softly as he continued walking in the direction he was going in. “Karma’s just messing with you, the arcade’s just the next street over, right?”

Upon saying that, Nagisa turned into the next street and was surprised to find that he was, in fact, incorrect.

“What…? But I swear it was this way!”

Another buzz.

**_‘Wrong way, Nagisa. The only way you’re get to the arcade is to get through me.”_ **

With a smirk, Nagisa turned on his heel and marched towards where he had just been.

After all, if Karma wanted to face him, who was he to deny him that opportunity?

Karma, on the other hand, was sat waiting on the roof of the arcade, his eyes scanning the street below in the hopes of spotting the blue haired assassin.

“Come on Nagisa, it’s not like you to keep me waiting like this.” Karma grinned darkly, his eyes glinting with unadulterated mischief.

From the corner of his eye, he saw a small figure wandering down the street and immediately perked up with excitement.

“Come here, little Nagisa… you’re falling right into my little trap…!”

“Don’t be so sure about that.”

Before he could even turn around, Karma found himself being pinned to the floor by a lithe figure.

“W-Wait, what?” the red-haired boy exclaimed, his eyes wide with genuine surprise. “Where did you come from?”

“And you say that I need to brush up on my assassination techniques, Karma. You can’t even detect me on the roof behind you!” Nagisa laughed, his hands tightly gripping Karma’s wrists in an attempt to keep him down.

Karma blinked slowly, processing what had just happened and what was, indeed, happening at that very moment.

Sat atop his stomach was the person he had romantic feelings for, although he wouldn’t admit it to anyone but him.

Nagisa’s grip was tight as Karma wriggled in a half-arsed attempt to shift into a more comfortable position.

He was dangerously close – Nagisa, that is – to Karma’s face and the red head couldn’t help but close his eyes and slowly inhale the faint smell of lavender scented shampoo and smile.

It was just like Nagisa to choose something that had a calming effect on everyone.

“Have you given up yet?”

Karma’s eyes shot open quickly and stared at Nagisa’s deep smirk with curiosity.

“Given up? Now, why would I do that, my little Nagisa?” Karma seemed to purr with mischief as he easily pulled his wrists from Nagisa’s small fingers.

In one easy motion, Karma stood up and swept Nagisa into his arms in a similar manner to how a groom would hold his bride.

Nagisa’s face exploded with colour and found himself hiding his face between his hands.

“W-What are you doing, Karma? Put me down, I can walk.”

“Those weak little protests won’t work on me, Nagisa, you know that.”

“Huh…?”

Karma carefully manoeuvred his way from the roof, into a nearby tree, clinging to the petite boy in his arms.

“You okay down there?” Karma whispered softly into Nagisa’s hair as he balanced precariously on a thin branch, noting how it bent unnaturally at the newly added weight of two young assassins-in-training.

“I’m good, why do you ask?” Nagisa mumbled quietly, noticing how high up they both were from the ground.

“Well, I’m doing some pretty dangerous stuff here, little Nagisa.” Karma hopped from branch to branch, gradually getting closer to the ground, his arms tight around his blue-haired classmate.

With a small grunt, Karma jumped from a high branch to the ground, making Nagisa squeak softly on impact.

Both boys looked at each other and Nagisa found himself wanting to die.

Did he just squeak?

He was always trying to prove that he was a boy! Squeaking wouldn’t help his case whatsoever.

“That was cute, Nagisa.”

“I-”

Before Nagisa could stop speaking, he felt soft, plump lips press against his forehead lightly.

The moment seemed to last forever, but eventually Karma moved away to stare into Nagisa’s wide blue eyes with endless affection and adoration.

“ _You’re_ cute, Nagisa and that’s one of the reasons why… w-why I have feelings for you.”

“You have-”

The red head found himself standing up straight and laughing nervously.

“A-Anyway… we’re at the arcade. Ignore what I just said, okay?” With a quick wink, Karma stuck out his tongue.

Inside, Karma was kicking himself, wondering why he couldn’t just confess without trying to seem cool or passive.

All he wanted was to seem sincere, to pour his heart out without worrying that he seems feminine or that Terasaka will tease him for displaying emotions so freely.

He sighed internally; how he wanted to be open so badly.

“Alright…”

Golden eyes blinked slowly as they focused on Nagisa again.

“Alright?” Karma repeated.

“Alright, let’s go inside. Since we technically got to the entrance at the same time, how about we both pay for one game each?”

Nagisa had a fully flushed face, but had a small and shy smile on his face as he suggested a compromise.

The red head couldn’t help but smile as he put his hand on the small of Nagisa’s back and led him inside.

“Yeah Nagisa… sounds great.”

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hhhhhh this is so late, but please forgive me, a lot's been going on!  
> So university has been destroying me this week and the fact that I have to commute makes me so tired.  
> Please, please, pleeeeease forgive me, I did try.  
> Although, I'll admit, this chapter is kind of sucky.  
> I'll do better next time!
> 
> Keep those suggestions coming please and share this story with fellow fans if you know any!  
> I'd really like my first story to get a lot of comments and suggestions for the ending.
> 
> Thank you for reading and an even BIGGER thank you for the wait.  
> m(_ _ m)
> 
> Expected next chapter: 02/02/2017


	8. Let's Play! Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Safely at the arcade, Karma still struggles with his feelings for Nagisa, but who do we have here?
> 
> "Dude, I didn't know you were going to make an appearance here today!"

The automatic doors to the arcade opened for the two middle school boys as they made their way through the entrance.

As expected, the overall atmosphere in the arcade was electric and competitive as friends battled to win a game or two over their friends and gain bragging rights.

That is, until the winner lost a game the next day.

“What should we play, Nagisa? The first game is all up to you.” Karma almost found himself shouting over the din of excited voices in the establishment.

“Um…” Nagisa went quiet as he looked around. “Maybe we should play… huh?”

Following Nagisa’s gaze, Karma’s bright golden eyes were wide and sparkling with curiosity.

On the far side of the arcade were Isogai and Maehara almost gracefully dancing on the Dance Dance Revolution game.

With a smirk, the red head led the bluenette to the two unsuspecting classmate, Nagisa staying deathly silent.

It only took a moment, but by the time Nagisa had blinked once, Karma had pounced multiple feet towards their classmates and had them both in playful headlocks.

“K-Karma…?” Isogai laughed as he obediently resisted the temptation to fight back.

“Dude, I didn’t know you were going to make an appearance here today!” Maehara grinned, his head trapped between an arm and Karma’s relatively slim waist.

“Well, me and Nagisa are here to game, right?”

Three pairs of eyes turned to the lithe figure stood quite a distance away, causing him to smile very faintly and nod.

It’s not as though Nagisa wasn’t used to the attention, he was just never prepared for when everyone wanted to look at him at once.

“Y-Yeah, right.”

The blue haired assassin found that his eyes were darting around the arcade a lot and he didn’t know what to focus on.

It was common when he felt a little uncomfortable.

Karma found himself smiling faintly at this display of slight panic and felt a rather strong urge to hold the smaller boy around his waist.

“Alright, you guys,” the tall and daring member of the group piped up, his golden eyes shining dangerously as he dug his fingers painfully into Isogai’s and Maehara’s shoulders with a subtly icy smile. “Aren’t you hogging this game a little too much? I think you should go elsewhere and I’ll catch up with you later.”

“A-Ah…” Maehara found himself wincing, his tongue clamped between his teeth. “What the-”

“Yeah, sounds like a plan!” Isogai squeaked softly, sighing with relief as the grip on his shoulder loosened significantly. “C’mon, Maehara, let’s grab something to eat.”

Nagisa tilted his head to the side with an air of inquisitiveness, his gaze focused on the flailing boys under Karma’s control.

“Um, you don’t have to go if you don’t want to. Don’t let Karma bully you into leaving.” The blue haired male piped up, smiling softly.

The two classmates hesitated before looking up at Karma quietly.

The male in question was smiling, although his hands were beginning to tighten again, a clear sign that Isogai and Maehara were to follow his instructions _or else_.

“N-No, we’re good, Nagisa.” Maehara forced a smile at Nagisa before wriggling out of Karma’s grip and dragging Isogai away quickly.

Nagisa watched the two boys rub their shoulders gently as they rushed to the opposite side of the arcade.

“Karma…” Nagisa sighed heavily as the taller male sauntered closer with an air of triumph.

“What?” Sliding an arm around Nagisa’s slim waist, Karma smiled smugly as he dropped the tone of his voice a couple of octaves. “Is it so bad that I want you all to myself, Nagisa?”

It took the blink of an eye for colour to spread from Nagisa’s soft cheeks to his toes and for Karma’s eyes to widen at what he’d just heard himself say.

_Ah man, what if he thinks that I’m weird for saying that? I should have kept my mouth shut._

“Um…”

_Oh?_

“I mean, it’s not _bad_ that you want to spend time with me… but you know, you didn’t have to act so harshly towards them or anything like that.” Nagisa started to fiddle with his fingers absent-mindedly.

“Well…” Karma smiled a toothy grin knowingly. “It’s how I usually behave, isn’t it?”

“I guess so.” Nagisa gave his sweetest smile and Karma felt his heart stop for a prolonged amount of time.

_Oh. My. God._

The red head found himself itching just to pull Nagisa into the world’s tightest hug and hold him there for all eternity.

This sneaky little assassin didn’t understand just how much he was affecting the red head and to be honest, that did very little to help with the lack of pumping his heart was doing at the moment.

“Karma? Are you okay?” Nagisa’s brow furrowed deeply and reached up to put his hand on Karma’s forehead.

Before Nagisa could even take another breath, Karma already had his hand roughly gripping a thin wrist, golden eyes significantly darkened.

“A-Ah…” Nagisa found himself whimpering at Karma’s forceful behaviour and stared up at the misunderstood male helplessly, since he knew that he wouldn’t be able to pull his arm away with force. “S-Stop, let my arm go, Karma… please…?”

The red head’s breath quickened slightly at the sight.

_What is he trying to do? If he’s trying to fool me, it won’t-_

Karma blinked quickly.

In the time that it took for Karma to think about Nagisa’s request, the bluenette had noticed that Karma’s grip had slackened somewhat and had pulled his arm free.

“Gotcha.” Nagisa’s voice had deepened slightly as it returned to normal before he turned on his heels and sauntered to the arcade game that two of his classmates unwillingly sacrificed in order to have fully functioning shoulders for another day.

Karma watched closely at Nagisa’s back as he walked away, his eyes soft and curious.

_God, his technique has gotten better… My little Nagisa…_

Wait.

‘His’ Nagisa?

Since when did he feel so possessive about Nagisa? Usually, he would be happy simply being within a mile of Nagisa, but he’d never called Nagisa his.

What now?

_Ah… My chest hurts…_

Turning around with a bright smile, Nagisa’s soft eyes gazed at Karma, the latter staring open-mouthed.

“Karma,” Nagisa spoke gently, almost as though he was speaking to a frightened animal. “Relax. It’s just me.”

_Nagisa…_

“Yeah, it… it’s just you.” Karma forced a grin, running a hand through his red locks.

_My heart hurts._

“Now come on, let’s go and play a certain shooter that I know you spend all of your money on whenever you’re here.” Nagisa laughed before the red-head sauntered over and wrapped an arm around Nagisa’s shoulders.

“You know me way too well.” Karma’s voice was relaxed and smooth, not revealing how quickly his heart pounded in his chest.

_And I…_

The two teenagers made small talk as they wandered over to the desired game.

Karma was so busy watching Nagisa’s expressions that he was surprised when Nagisa suddenly stopped and stared.

“What is it, Nagisa?”

Following the gaze, the taller teenager’s eyes narrowed significantly and felt his fingers twitch slightly with discomfort.

There, playing on the most unpopular shooter game was none other than Kanzaki and…

“Kaede…?” Nagisa spoke slowly, eyes wide.

_I don’t want to share you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who is back to complete this story?  
> It's been over 3 months, I realise, but so many things have gone on! You'd fall asleep before I got through half of the events that have happened recently haha  
> But on a serious note, thank you all for staying and supporting the fanfiction during its hiatus, but it will continue, as promised.
> 
> Please keep letting me know how I can improve, what I could add and most importantly...
> 
> WHAT IS NAGISA'S FATE?
> 
> ...A bit cheesy? ^-^||
> 
> See you next chapter, lovelies!


	9. What Do We Have Here?

“Oh, Nagisa! Hi!” Kaede waved excitedly before turning back to the game that she was playing with Kanzaki.

“So… Kayano is here too, huh?” Karma mumbled under his breath, holding onto Nagisa’s shoulder that bit tighter, feeling his stomach tighten with discomfort.

Nagisa was unsure of how to feel about having both of his admirers in the same vicinity as him, never mind each other.

He could sense Karma’s unease and could feel his shoulder being squeezed and released ever so slightly at random moments.

As for Kayano… he noticed that she had glanced at the protective arm around Nagisa’s shoulders, glared at Karma momentarily before turning her attention back to the arcade game.

“I didn’t know you’d be here today.” Nagisa laughed with slight unease, the atmosphere becoming heavy with tension. “What a coincidence, huh?”

There was a moment of silence before Kayano spoke reasonably softly.

“Yeah. A real coincidence.”

Grinding his teeth roughly against each other, Karma could feel his stomach tighten further, his head beginning to hurt slightly.

He didn’t like this feeling of competitiveness that he was sensing from the green-haired girl, but he knew that if Kayano was glaring at him because of where he placed his arm, then

_Bring it on, Kayano._

Kaede, on the other hand, was maintaining a calm composure; at least, that was what it looked like to everyone else.

On the inside, the girl had an urge to tear Karma’s arm away from Nagisa since she had never witnessed them being so close before.

That could only mean that Karma had a romantic interest in Nagisa, right?

Right…?

Dragging her teeth across her bottom lip slowly, Kayano watched the two boys from the corner of her eye, noticing the subtle movements of the red-head’s fingers against Nagisa’s shoulder and the burning gaze that Karma was emanating.

_It’s like he already knows._

“Nagisa,” a small voice piped up and the blue-haired boy turned his attention towards Kanzaki, whose eyes were glued to the gaming screen. “How have you been?”

Small talk to break the awkward atmosphere.

 _‘Thank you Kanzaki’_ Nagisa thought gratefully.

“I’ve been well, thank you. A little bit worn out from today, but otherwise, I’m the same as usual. How about you?”

Kayano and Karma both stared at Nagisa in silence, their eyes slightly narrowed and calculating.

“I’ve been in a great mood today, actually! The stuff that Koro-sensei went over in class made a lot more sense than when the teachers on the main campus tried to drill it into our heads. They’re like robots, you know?” Kanzaki laughed as she drew her eyes away from the screen and continued shooting, her aim perfect on every target.

“How are you-”

Kanzaki raised a hand and Nagisa closed his mouth quickly.

“Practice. Plus, my peripheral vision is pretty awesome, I can still see the entire screen whilst looking at you guys.”

“Huh…” Kayano hummed softly, turning her attention to the game again. “That explains why your score is insane compared to mine right now.”

“Of course it is,” the dark haired girl smirked slightly behind her usual smile. “I don’t need to try very hard to beat you in any game.”

Taken aback slightly, the green-haired girl’s fingers slipped from the arcade gun and it fell from her hands before she fully comprehended what her friend had just said to her.

Hearing a sharp click of Karma’s tongue behind her made Kayano’s cheeks burn from embarrassment as she picked up the toy gun dangling from its tether.

Nagisa’s eyes darted from the gun to Kayano’s bright red face, smiling sympathetically.

“Honestly, you’re almost as clumsy as me.” The blue haired boy smiled, slipping from Karma’s grip and standing beside her, their shoulders brushing.

Karma’s arm flopped back to his side, his expression dark momentarily before he put on his blank face and simply watched in silence.

It would be too much to deny Nagisa the chance to talk to his friend, right?

Friend.

That’s all Kayano and Nagisa were.

Nodding to himself, Karma was satisfied with telling himself that for the time being.

Kayano, however, was feeling mildly light-headed from the simple contact and how close Nagisa was to her.

“I-I mean, it’s not like you haven’t dropped stuff before, right?” she sucked her cheeks in slightly, her bottom lip protruding a little.

“You’re right,” Nagisa chuckled softly, eyes focused on the girl beside him. “I’m super clumsy. But is that such a bad thing?”

Before Kayano could open her mouth, she heard a light giggle from behind her and turned around.

“Nagisa, it isn’t so bad. It’s what makes you… you, y’know?” Kanzaki smiled brightly, putting the gun back in its holder since she’d finished the game completely.

The dark haired girl glanced at the screen and nodded to herself seeing her name flash at the top of the screen, having beaten her own high score.

“What is this, the ‘fawn over Nagisa’ show?” Karma clicked his tongue once more, still managing to maintain his straight face.

Everyone turned to Karma with a slight frown, Kayano’s deepening by the second.

“What do you mean by that, Akabane?” The green-haired girl’s tone was low, almost challenging.

“Woah, Kayano,” Karma smirked as he took large strides over to her, grabbed the girl’s chin and forced her to look up at him. “Why so threatening? Some guys like their girls cute, y’know.”

The small girl grabbed Karma’s wrist tightly, digging her nails into the skin as a slight warning.

“Ooh, so _violent_ too.” Karma’s smirked deepened further, his golden eyes hard and cold.

Before Kayano could start arguing and fighting back, Nagisa was pulling Karma away by his shirt and Kanzaki was leading Kayano backwards by her shoulders.

“Hey guys, stop.” Nagisa’s tone was sharp, like a mother scolding her children in the middle of a supermarket. “What’s gotten into you both?”

“This is so unlike you both.” Kanzaki frowned, her brows knitted together with concern.

Both Karma and Kayano stayed silent, glaring at one another with irritation.

Moments of silence go by before Karma pipes up, his teeth gritted together harshly.

“I have an idea,” the red-head all but grunts, finally taking his eyes away from Kayano to look at Kanzaki and Nagisa. “Why don’t we play a game together?”

Nagisa raised his eyebrows, staring at Karma in disbelief.

“Are you serious? You looked like you wanted to kill each other and you’ve only been in the vicinity for, what, 15 minutes or so?”

“I agree with Karma” Kayano spoke lowly, all eyes turning to her. “Let’s play a game.”

“What, the one we were just playing?” Kanzaki asked softly, not wanting to rile her friends up more.

“Yeah. I could do with some easy target practice.” The green-haired girl glared at Karma momentarily before looking back at Kanzaki with a softer gaze.

The tall male wasn’t one to not notice when someone was glaring daggers at them, no matter the duration and did all he could to not lash out.

“Alright, everyone,” Nagisa clapped his hands loudly, startling the opposing individuals and making them jump. “Let’s start. We’ll have two teams, me and Kanzaki, Karma and Kayano, okay?”

“What?” Came the loud collective shout of both Karma and Kayano as they stared at Nagisa in disbelief.

“I do _not_ want to be on a team with this moron? He’ll make me screw up!” Kayano protested, pointing an accusatory finger at Karma.

“Me? Make you mess up? How can I do that when you’re already as messed up as can be?” Karma snorted and smirked, his pupils dilating as he felt his anger flare up once more.

“You little-!”

“That’s enough!” Nagisa shouted, once again startling the two bickering teenagers. “You two are on a team and you _will_ suck it up and deal with it, or God help me, I will smack some sense into the both of you!”

Karma bit into his bottom lip harshly whilst Kayano looked away, embarrassed.

“Glad I could get through to you both. Now shake hands and smile, at the very least.” Nagisa sighed softly, watching how hesitant they both were.

Karma felt himself be pushed closer to the green-haired girl and could see Kanzaki do the same with Kayano.

The two parties outstretched their right hands and shook, forcing a smile at one another.

Both Nagisa and Kanzaki brightened up considerably at the display, unaware of the secret exchange going on at the same time.

“I dislike you very much, Kayano.”

“And I borderline despise you, Akabane.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really did try haha  
> What do you think about Karma vs. Kayano right now? That's only a small taste of what I have in store for them xD If I get mainly negative responses about it, though, I can always change the direction it's going in lol  
> Anyway, thank you all for reading this!  
> I honestly feel like it's becoming drabble now.
> 
> Slightly off topic: Man, listening to BTS V's Stigma whilst writing this made me feel emotional. That's probably where all that conflict came from lmao you should try listening to it sometime. You don't have to though haha I won't force you to become an ARMY ^^
> 
> ANYWAY, see you all next time! \\(^o^)/


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